Sir — In the light of allegations by a former law intern that a recently retired Supreme Court judge, “old enough to be my grandfather” had sexually harassed her in a hotel room on December 24, 2012, the CBI Director’s insensitive remarks on rape and the unrelenting sexism that Indian women face, it’s time to have a national conversation about the entrenched misogyny in our most revered institutions. The mindset perverts interactions between the sexes and, in the end, even the systems we rely on to provide justice to women.
The acquittal of the four accused in the Dabra gang rape case and the Sirsa rape case victim’s allegations that the police has been forcing her to take back her complaint against her alleged rapist and his accomplices — all influential people, reinforce the belief that crimes against women are rarely taken seriously. One wonders if the courts would have reacted with the same alacrity had the woman involved not been a law intern and the allegation was not against a judge.